DUBLIN CITY Council is seeking tenders for a pound and seizure service to remove about 600 horses found roaming the city and county each year.
The problem of stray and abandoned horses is growing rapidly and is costing Dublin local authorities upwards of €1 million a year in housing or destroying the animals.
In the Dublin City Council area alone, the number of abandoned and stray horses rose by 40 per cent last year from 250 in 2008 to 349 in 2009.
Between 80 and 100 horses are usually seized in Fingal each year, but in 2009 that figure rose to 177. In south Dublin, more than 140 horses were rounded up and impounded last year.
The city council, on behalf of the three local authorities, has advertised the contract in two lots, a seizure service to capture horses and a secure pound.
The new contract follows the introduction last month of new bylaws for the control of horses which reduces the time limit for reclaiming seized horses from 14 to seven days.
Horses not reclaimed within that time will be either sold, rehomed or destroyed.
Reclaiming a horse from the pound can cost between €1,165 and €1,366, depending on how many days the horse has spent there and whether it has previously been microchipped for identification.
Niall Mooney of the city council’s culture, recreation and amenity department said only a very small number of horses are reclaimed in any year.
“Of the 349 horses seized last year, only 15 were reclaimed. We try to find new homes for most of them,” he said
While it is illegal to keep a horse without a licence, very few licences are sought from the council in any year, he said.
“Most horses that are rounded up don’t have licences. We issued 22 licences last year, and have about 40 licensed horses altogether on our books, whereas there are about 200 horses in Finglas alone,” he added.
The number of stray and abandoned horses in the city is likely to be significantly larger than the number impounded by the local authorities, Mr Mooney said.
“We try to prioritise things by first dealing with the horses that are causing a nuisance, such as those that are wandering on public roads.
“Then there are the horses we take on welfare grounds, but there are also horses who the DSPCA deals with, and others dealt with by the gardaí.”
Most problems in relation to safety or welfare issues associated with the Smithfield horse market in the north inner city were dealt with by Garda, he said.
The council has been unable to stop the monthly market because of market rights established by the traders.
However it is currently in talks with the Government with a view to preparing primary legislation to deal with the issue.
